Silent Night
by Katrina Kenyon
Summary: What happens when Charlotte and Cooper find a baby on Christmas Eve? Charlotte/Cooper.


**Silent Night**

_Silent night, holy night_

_All is calm, all is bright…_

When Charlotte King opened the door to her and Cooper's apartment she did not expect to a newborn wailing in its blue swaddling blanket on the ground. She could not believe that someone would just leave a newborn here. It was a frickin' apartment complex for god's sake. These kinds of things happened on the front steps of houses. She cursed and picked up the baby while keeping an eye on the empty hallway. Whomever left the little thing was probably long gone by now.

The newborn seemed fine, perfectly healthy with ten little fingers and ten little toes. He was breathing fine and nothing seemed out of the normal. Cooper, who currently wasn't talking to her, would give him a once over as well. The rustling inside the apartment told her that her boyfriend was coming to see what all the commotion was about.

"Charlotte, who's…" Cooper stopped talking once he was by her side and able to see the little newborn in Charlotte's hands.

"Someone left him here," she said while closing the front door and leading them all to the living room. "Don't look like they're coming back anytime soon."

"So they just abandoned him?"

"It's sad, but it happens." She passed the infant into his arms. "Here, I'm going to call the CPS."

"You can't do that, it's Christmas Eve Charlotte."

She raised an eyebrow at him as she reached for the house phone.

"Have a little Christmas spirit."

"Why don't you?!" She snapped.

Why couldn't he just forgive her already? She hadn't lied to him about her marriage and she had done the right thing by telling him. Why couldn't he understand that it was painful for her to talk about that subject? And he didn't have to be so mean to her either.

But she wasn't weak; she could take whatever he dished out. She would just wait until he forgave her.

He ignored the remark and took the phone away from her wordlessly. Another silent night.

She was more than frustrated now. She grabbed her coat and purse and headed out the door. "I'm going to get some formula and diapers," she announced as she left. She didn't wait for his response.

Half an hour, later she was back with bottles, formula, diapers and more. She dropped the stuff off in front of Cooper's feet and he quietly accepted the supplies, pulling out the bottles and formula powder.

She left him to do his task and headed back to the bedroom. As she walked she caught the twinkling light of the Christmas tree they had set up for the occasion out of the corner of her eye. Somehow she didn't think this year would be so merry.

She curled up on the bed fully clothed and tried to sleep. Images of her ex husband filled her head. Now she was just getting depressed.

God, she hated Christmas.

Twenty minutes later she heard someone enter the room. She closed her eyes and faked sleep. She felt the weight shift on the bed as Cooper sat down beside her. She twitched, giving away that she wasn't really asleep.

"Are you awake?"

"Yeah," she said, not bothering to open her eyes.

He was silent and then. "Are you okay?"

"You care now," she snapped.

"Charlotte," he said while reaching out to stroke her hair.

She jerked away from him. "Don't touch me," _if you don't think I'm worthy of your forgiveness._

She was starting to get emotional. She could feel that tightness in her chest that told her she was about to cry. She couldn't bear it if she fell apart in front of him tonight.

"Go away Coop." Her voice cracked. "Don't you need to take care of the baby?"

"He's sleeping," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

"He died. That's what's wrong."

"What?" Cooper asked perplexed.

"My ex-husband. He cheated on me and I wished he were dead and then he died in a car accident. He died because I wished it." Now she was crying.

"Charlotte," he soothed. "It wasn't your fault. You can't just wish someone dead."

She curled up into a tighter ball and squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't wanna talk about it anymore Coop. Please?"

She felt him move on the bed. He curled up behind her and pulled her body to his in an embrace.

"Okay, no more talking about it," he whispered.

He placed a kiss in her soft yellow hair and then stilled. She lay there in the silence listening to him breath. He hadn't held her like this in such a long time. She felt at peace. She was just about to drift off to sleep when he placed his hand on hers and intertwined their fingers.

"I forgive you," he whispered to her.

_Sleep in heavenly peace…_

_Merry Christmas everyone!_


End file.
